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Individual & Family Insurance
IHI provides coverage for expats who want to make sure that any medical problems they or their families may encounter whilst living overseas will be protected. If you are making or have made that leap from your home country to a newly adopted one, or even if you're planning an extended trip abroad, you should consider overseas medical insurance.
There is a lot to organise when moving abroad. With things like housing, school, work, and general adjusting to a new country and culture to contemplate, it can be a huge weight lifted from your shoulders to have a global insurance plan. Doing so means you can at least ease your mind that should something happen to you or your family in this new country, you will be taken care of without suffering huge medical costs.
Normal policies from your home country will have very limited coverage overseas, so to ensure you will be covered adequately for the duration of your time in your new country, an international plan is the way to go.
Getting overseas coverage is particularly beneficial if your current home plan will run out whilst you and your family are overseas. It will ensure that you can afford the full level of care you deserve and require in your new country for a low cost. We here at IHI can offer you the lowest cost plans around. Compared with the potential alternative of settling for low cost, low quality public healthcare, or having to pay the full brunt of medical costs yourself, international coverage eliminates any risk and allows for an easy transition into your new home culture. You should also check before entering your new country whether overseas medical insurance is a requirement, as many countries will deny expats access to public healthcare.
There are a wide variety of health insurers available. Navigating through them, and considering all of your options by yourself can be overwhelming, and an added burden to your relocation. To help ease that burden, why not contact our advisors and we will talk with you about all the options you can pursue. Alternately, you can fill out a quote form here.
When choosing a plan, there are several things to consider. We’ve explained some below, but you can find a more in-depth description of the elements of a typical plan on our Insurance Terms page.
Extent of Coverage
Good quality insurance will prevent you from worrying when that inevitable illness sets in in a foreign and unfamiliar place. While coverage can range from the bare necessities to covering all maladies imaginable, it's important to consider that with increasing medical costs worldwide it may be better to avoid the risk of insufficient coverage. Should something serious happen to you or your family then you're going to want to make sure you have the fullest protection possible to deal with this.
You must consider how much risk you want to take with your health versus how much you want to spend to transfer that risk to an insurer. If you are unlucky enough to be burdened with illnesses that amass high bills whilst you're overseas then it would be better to have extensive coverage that will deal with this than to suffer the high costs personally.
A range of policies are available at different premium rates, so you can personally decide whether you want to spend more to be fully covered or risk reduced coverage, and therefore reduced premiums. Using the tools available on our quote page, or by contacting our advisors you can explore the myriad of options available to you. At IHI, we are committed to providing you quick, easy, affordable coverage that is tailored to suit your needs.
Geographical Coverage
International plans can provide coverage for you worldwide. This means that when you get to finally embark on that multi-country trip you've been planning since forever ago, you can receive top quality medical care no matter what country you're visiting as well as being covered in your newly adopted home when you return. This coverage is especially practical if you're visiting places with a variety of tropical illnesses, adverse or dangerous conditions, or Australia; where everything seems out to maim you, everywhere, at all times.
With these plans, if you do become ill or injured on holiday, you can get access to quality healthcare without having to negotiate bills or find out the costs of treatments in a foreign language, but this is only the case if the geographical coverage of your plan includes the country you are visiting. Geographical coverage is the option on your plan that determines the areas you can receive treatment in, and can range from being limited to the country you’re in, to the continent you’re in, or can encompass the entire globe.
With extensive geographical coverage, you don't have to settle for the cheapest, lowest quality care available to save on costs during your overseas trip. This is practical when your multi-country trip encompasses several languages and you are travelling on a budget, as there are no telling the fees you may amass in countries with different healthcare price structures. The geographical coverage of your plan becomes significant if you’re one of the adventurous lot who plan on exploring a few places for an extended period of time, be it darting around your neighbouring countries during your time as an expat, or venturing off into the wild on a student gap year.
In contrast, if you were to travel through several countries on your regular home insurance plan, there can be limits to the amount of care you can get or the type of care you can receive. In fact, some plans will not cover you at all overseas if their geographical coverage is limited to one country. Consider an international individual or family plan if you want the security of affordable and reliable healthcare in whatever country you plan on visiting. If you know that you won't be travelling much during your stay as an expat, then you could consider a more limited overseas policy.
Level of Public Healthcare Available
Before you explore your insurance options, there are some things to consider about your healthcare when moving overseas. Importantly, you must consider what healthcare is publicly available in your adopted country. Are there choices regarding the quality of hospitals and doctors available? If so you need to see whether these options meet your individual needs or whether you will need health insurance that can allow you to receive additional healthcare of a quality you desire. Some countries will not grant expats access to their public healthcare system at all, in which case an international plan is a necessity. Certain comforts that you are used to in your home country such as a private rooms for in-patient treatments may cost considerably more in your new country which adds to the appeal of an encompassing international policy to adequately satisfy your needs. These plans make you mobile and give you options, as you can choose where you go for treatment.
To check the local healthcare situation in your destination, have a look through our country pages. If you want more information on anything we have discussed you can fill out a quote form. Or if you have any questions about your current coverage compared with what private medical insurance can offer you then contact us here and we will be happy to talk you through your options.
Environmental Factors
Depending on your destination of choice, there are environmental factors as to whether or not you should get a global policy. Places with high levels of pollution can cause breathing difficulties, some places are rife with tropical diseases or are dangerous due to crime or accident rates. All these things must be factored into whether or not you will need an international health plan and to what extent.
Whilst it is possible that none of these factors will affect you during your time abroad, can you afford to take the chance and potentially incur large medical fees? Medical insurance is the best option to avoid worrying. You can enter a new environment confident that should anything happen to you or your family (and lets hope that it doesn't) you are sufficiently covered.
If a global plan sounds like something you want or need, then we are here to help. To find the best deal at the best price, have a look at our quotes page, or if you have any questions about your coverage options then contact one of our advisors and we'll be happy to answer your queries.
International or Local Individual Health Insurance Plan ?